sweet, juicy, colorful and altogether inviting. Whether you enjoy them fresh, frozen, dried or canned, blueberries are high on the list for convenience, versatility and good nutrition. Add blueberries to cereal, muffins and pancakes to excite even the bleary-eyed at breakfast. Pop blueberries into salads, smoothies and sauces; bake them into desserts; or simply eat them out of hand as a tasty snack. Any time of day, they add sweet flavor, visual appeal and a healthy nutrition boost. The more you know about blueberries, the better you’ll like them! Cultivate Taste for the a B LUES Blueberries are small wonders...
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Cultivate a BLUES for the - Blueberry Council are small wonders... Harvesting The Blues ... machine-harvested blueberries are ... which in an alkaline environment,
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sweet, juicy, colorful and altogether inviting. Whether you enjoy them fresh, frozen,dried or canned, blueberries are high on the list for convenience, versatility and good nutrition.
Add blueberries to cereal,muffins and pancakes to excite even the bleary-eyed at breakfast. Pop blueberriesinto salads, smoothies andsauces; bake them intodesserts; or simply eat themout of hand as a tasty snack.Any time of day, they add sweet flavor, visual appeal and a healthy nutrition boost.
The more you know about blueberries, the better you’ll like them!
Cu l t ivateTaste
f o r t h ea
BLUESB l u e b e r r i e s a r e s m a l l w o n d e r s . . .
HarvestingThe Blues
For the fresh market, blueberries are
picked either by hand or with harvest-
ing machines which gently shake each
plant so only the ripe berries fall into
the catching frame. Most of the
machine-harvested blueberries are
frozen immediately for use year round.
Fresh highbush blueberries are now
available 12 months of the year
from producers in North and South
America. North American blueberries
are available from April through
October, with the peak season being
mid-June to mid-August. The earliest
harvest is in the southern, states
moving north and into Canada as
the season continues. Blueberry
season in South America runs from
November through March.
Highbush blueberries can also be
enjoyed year round as frozen,
canned and dried fruit, as well as
in processed foods.
The blueberry is an indigenous North American species with deep
roots in our history. By the time the Europeans arrived, our native inhabi-
tants were already enjoying blueberries year round through clever preservation techniques. They
were dried in the sun, then added whole to soups, stews and meat; or crushed into a powder and
rubbed into meat as a preservative. As the legend goes, Native Americans gave blueberries to the
Pilgrims, helping them make it through their first winter.
Blueberries also have a place in the annals of folk medicine. Their roots were brewed into a tea
believed to help relax women during childbirth, and blueberry syrup was thought to be a cure
for coughs. Another health legend is the association between bilberries, a European cousin of
blueberries, and good eyesight. Modern science is just beginning to discover what ancient
cultures have long known: Blueberries are good for us in many ways.
The
G o W a y B a c k
BlueberryCultivation
Comes of Age
The blueberry is no youngster;
botanists estimate it’s been around
for more than 13,000 years.
However, it wasn’t cultivated until
the early 20th century. Elizabeth
White and Dr. Frederick V. Coville
were the first to develop the hybrid
for cultivated highbush blueberries
by domesticating and improving
wild highbush blueberry species.
The result is a plump, juicy, sweet
and easy-to-pick berry with color
ranging from deep purple-blue to
blue-black, highlighted by a
silvery sheen called a “bloom.”
Botanically speaking, the blueberry
is part of a family that includes the
flowering azalea, mountain laurel
and heather—plants that favor acid
soil, plenty of water and a cool climate.
Today, there are dozens of commercial
highbush varieties thriving across the
United States, Canada and South
America. Although commercially
produced in thirty-five states, six states
account for more than 90% of the high-
bush crop: Michigan, New Jersey,
Oregon, North Carolina, Georgia and
Washington. British Columbia is the
primary highbush blueberry producer in
Canada. Chile is the major producer in
South America. Lowbush blueberries,
used primarily in food processing, are
grown in Maine and Eastern Canada.
BLUES
Highbush blueberries grow in clusters
and don’t all ripen at once. The berries
at the bottom of the cluster can be ripe
while the ones on top are still green.
Sweet and Savory Flavor
Partnersfor Blueberries
Blueberries are an amiable berry—
getting along well with a diverse
crowd of foods and flavors. Though
they can’t be beat in all things
sweet—such as cakes, puddings,
muffins and pancakes—don’t forget
that they’re pretty impressive on the
savory side, too. Their fresh, fruity
flavor teams up perfectly with pork,
chicken and game, and they’re
dynamite in fruit salsas and sauces
accented with black and red peppers,
thyme and mint. For more heavenly
flavor partners, read on:
• Spices love blueberries; try them
with cardamom, cinnamon,
coriander, ginger and candied
ginger, mace, nutmeg and vanilla
beans or vanilla extract; also fresh
herbs such as cilantro, mint
and basil.
• Dairy foods are a natural mate for
blueberries—cottage cheese—ice
cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, sour
cream, heavy cream, ricotta
cheese, or try blueberries as part
of a fruit and cheese platter with
mild cheeses, such as Brie and
Camembert.
HighbushBlueberry
ProductionTotal production of both lowbush and
highbush blueberries in North America
reached an estimated 536 million
pounds in 2006. Highbush blueberries
accounted for 62% of total production.
Highbush blueberry production in the
United States and Canada has steadily
increased over the years, from about 90
million pounds in 1980 to a production
level in 2006 of 332 million pounds—269
million pounds in the U.S. and 63 million
pounds in Canada.The highbush
blueberry industry is growing rapidly in
South America as well. Fresh imports
from this region jumped 30% in one
year, reaching 37 million pounds in
2006—28 million pounds from Chile
and 9 million pounds from Argentina.
Today, over half of all highbush
blueberries are shipped to the fresh
market to keep pace with the
ever-increasing demand. The rest
are harvested to be frozen, puréed,
concentrated, canned or dried for
use in a wide range of food products,
including yogurt, pastries, muffins,
cereals and health bars.
• Almost any fruit teams up well with
blueberries—apples, apricots,
coconut, melons, citrus fruits and
all other berries.
• All kinds of nuts go well, especially
almonds (don’t forget almond paste).
• Liqueurs, such as orange or
raspberry, are good companions;
also rum or port.
• Try dried blueberries instead of
raisins in your next granola mix,
oatmeal cookies, or quick breads.
• Use canned blueberries for velvety
smooth shakes and smoothies.
Luscious, sweet blueberries are only 80 calories per
cup, virtually fat-free and a good source of vitamin C.
In addition, there is mounting scientific evidence that blueberries help
promote good health. Here is what we have learned so far:
• In studies at the USDA labs at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition
Center, Little Rock, AR, blueberries ranked among the highest in
antioxidant activity when compared to more than 100 other foods.
(Wu, X et al. J Agric Food Chem. 2004, 5:4026-37.) Antioxidants help
to neutralize free radicals, which are unstable molecules linked to
the development of a number of diseases, including cancer,
cardiovascular disease and other age-related conditions such
as Alzheimer’s.
• Ongoing research points to a possible relationship between
blueberries and healthy brain function. In a study at the USDA
Human Nutrition Research Center in Boston, a diet rich in blueberries
reversed some loss of balance and coordination and improved
short-term memory in aging rats (Joseph, J.A. et al. J Neurosci.
1999, 19:8114-21.) Subsequent studies on mice with Alzheimer’s-like
symptoms demonstrated that blueberry supplementation caused
signal transmission between brain cells to approach normal activity.
(Lau, F.C. et al. Neurobiol. Aging 2005, 26S:128-132.) These findings
may have important implications for our aging U.S. population.
• Preliminary studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey suggest that
antioxidants called proanthocyanidins, which are found in blueberries,
can inhibit infection-causing bacteria from adhering to the lining
of the urinary tract. (Schmidt, B. M. et al. J Agric Food Chem.